Robert Whittaker wants to defend his UFC middleweight title in Chicago in June.
Robert Whittaker probably wasn’t expecting the first defense of his UFC middleweight title to be against the guy he faced in his last fight, but that will be the case. After a bunch of shenanigans with Georges St-Pierre, and Whittaker being forced out of a bout with Luke Rockhold at UFC 221, Yoel Romero took advantage of an opportunity and knocked Rockhold out. So he has earned another shot at the title.
And Whittaker would like them to square off in the Windy City:
Hey @YoelRomeroMMA I’m ready to go in Chicago June Rematch ? pic.twitter.com/2q55uKL79K
— Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) February 25, 2018
That would be UFC 225 on June 12th – a card currently lacking a headliner.
Whittaker defeated Romero by unanimous decision back at UFC 213 last July to claim an interim title. While June seems like it’s a while away, Whittaker definitely needs the time to heal up. He couldn’t fight at UFC 221 because of an injury that escalated into a serious infection. On top of that Bobby Knuckles also got chicken pox, which can be deadly to adults. Not a good last few months.
It was initially reported that Romero suffered a broken leg in the Rockhold fight, but apparently that was not the case.
Bouts already attached to the Chicago card will see Claudia Gadelha take on Carla Esparza, and Joseph Benavidez meeting Sergio Pettis.